A Return Visit To The Busch Wildlife Sanctuary

My sister Susan and I returned to the Busch Wildlife Sanctury, located in Jupiter, Florida, yesterday afternoon after a previous visit to the center last year, and we are glad we did. Last year we simply walked around and looked at the animals on display and went home, while this year we attended several wildlife presentations, which were very informative. The Busch Wildlife Sanctuary's mission is to protect and conserve Florida's wildlife and habitats, and they are a nationally recognized leader in wildlife rehabilitation. They rescue sick, injured, and orphaned Florida wildlife with the goal of returning them back into the wild. They treat over 5,000 animals a year, and those that cannot be released are kept at the sanctuary and are available for the public to view, such as the opossum in the photograph on the left, which lost its tail, which affects balance, climbing, and exposes it to predators.

During a talk about the various animals at the sanctuary, we were told how some of those animals wound up with them. One story concerned someone who built a house in an area inhabited by a bear and killed it. Concerned neighbors contacted the Busch Wildlife Sanctury, letting them know that the bear had two cubs, which were then found about a mile away from the center and rescued by them. Since the two cubs were raised by humans, they could not be released into back into the wild and so are now permanent residents. I am not sure why the two Florida panthers on display are also permanent residents, but I was able to capture one of the two with my camera, as seen in the photograph on the right.

And this being Florida, they of course have some alligators on the property. In the reptile house are two baby alligators that were orphaned and are not yet big enough to survive in the wild on their own. After a year or two, when they are able to fend for themselves, they will be released. On the other end of the spectrum, the alligator in the photograph on the left is 43 years old and was one of the reasons the animal sanctuary came into existence. Evidently a kid found an egg and took it home, opening up the shell and discovering a baby alligator. When it got too big for the household, it became one if not the first occupants of the facility. Because it was born prematurely, it has birth defects that prevent it from being released into the swamp, one of them being that it can only open its mouth about 4 inches, which would spell death in the wild. Susan and I attended the 4:00 o'clock feeding, which consisted of feeding it frozen mice - yum! - which I duly photographed, but I decided to use the photograph showing it relaxing after dinner instead. In any case, everyone at the Busch Wildlife Sanctury was friendly and helpful, and made it an entertaining experience.  It is definitely worth visiting if you are in the area. There is no admission fee, but donations are welcome.